An analytical method based on high performance liquid chromatography was developed for analysis of nerol, linalool and citronellol, which are three main monoterpenes in essential oils. The optimized chromatographic conditions were determined as: C18 column (4.6 mm i.d.×150 mm, 5 μm), acetonitrile/water (v/v, 1∶1) as mobile phase, UV detector (205 nm), flow rate at 1.0 mL/min. The precision and stability of the method were also validated. This method is of high sensitivity, good reproducibility, and meets the methodological requirements. Furthermore, the methodology has been applied to detect the content of nerol, linalool and citronellol in rose oil, rose essence, lemon oil and lemon essence.